Coke oven wharves



Nov. 15, 1966 D. B. HARVERSON COKE OVEN WHARVES Filed Jan. 25, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. DONALD BOQRDMQN HQRVERSON Nov. 15, 1966 D. B. HARVERSON COKE OVEN WHARVES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25, 1965 INVENTOR. DONALD BOHRDMQN Hmevcresow @7'. QT'TOENEY rvg:

lllllllll Nov. 15, 1966 D. B. HARVERSON 3,285,439

COKE OVEN WHARVES 68 5 Z 2;? rel-2 122-2 STOP-3 51 2s a I 0------ 6 INVENTOR.

DONALD BOREDMQN HRRVERSON HTTORNE United States Patent 3,285,439 COKE OVEN WHARVES Donald B. Harverson, Ruscombe, Twyford, near Reading, England, assignor to Simon-Carves Limited, Stockport, Cheshire, England, a British Company Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 427,886 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 20, 1961, 45,643/ 61 8 Claims. (Cl. 214-18) This application is a continuation-in-part of my'application Serial No. 242,326, filed-December 4, 1962, now abandoned.

This invention relates to improvements in coke oven wharves and to means removing the coke therefrom. It is equally applicable for incorporation in new coke oven wharves or for the conversion of existing wharves.

In coke oven practice, a number of individual coke ovens are built in side-by-side relationship to form a coke oven battery and these ovens are so operated that they become ready for pushing in staggered succession, each oven being pushed at intervals of some eighteen hours (this period being varied to some extent by the width and capacity of the oven). Coal loaded into the ovens is carbonized in the substantial absence of oxygen until a mass of incandescent coke is formed and the oven doors are then removed and the charge of incandescent coke is pushed out of the oven chamber into a hot coke car, which is then taken to a quenching tower where the coke is quenched under water sprays.

When the coke is sufficiently quenched, the hot coke car is taken to the coke wharf, where the coke is deposited for a period of further cooling before being passed on to the wharf conveyor, which takes it to the screen house or other desired destination.

Coke wharves fitted with roll feeders have in the past usually been some 50 feet in length and it has been usual to stagger the discharge of coke over short sections of this length so that two successive discharges did not take place next to each other. Feed from the wharf to the wharf conveyor was by means of a star-sectioned feeder roll. Normal coke gates were fitted between the feeder rolls and the coke wharf and these were normally operated manually to allow the coke to move forward to the rolls for even distribution on the conveyor. This has entailed heavy manual work in opening and closing the gates. The feeder rolls have, in the past, been mounted on a common axle driven by a single motor, with the disadvantage that if a defect arose in any section of the roll, or maintenance was necessary, the complete roll had to be halted and the whole wharf was thus put out of commission until the defect was repaired or the maintenance completed.

One partial remedy for this disadvantage has been to divide the feeder roll spindle into two sections, one driven from one end of the wharf and the other from the other end of the wharf. This reductd, in part, the above disadvantages, but a defect in, cr maintenance to, either half of the roll again puts half the wharf out of commission. On a short wharf of 50 feet, as previously known, this solution may be reasonably acceptable, but as wharves of up to 500 feet are required in most present-day installations, such a solution to the problem is now unsatisfactory.

A further disadvantage of the previous systems is that attached to the labor problem. The work of a coke oven operative is not pleasant and is hot, dirty and laborious to such an extent that it is becoming increasingly difiicult to obtain skilled operatives, and every effort is now being made to provide, in all practicable ways, for automatic and remote control of at least the more disagreeable and laborious tasks.

Patented Nov. 15, race "ice ' installation comprises a plane surface sloping at an'angle towards and above a horizontal conveyor, a plurality of separate feeder rolls disposed horizontally and coaxially adjacent and parallel with the lower end of said plane surface above and towards that side of the conveyor adjacent thereto, means associated with each said feeder roll to arrest the flow of coke thereto from said plane surface, and means operable to cause the independent rotation of any selected one of said feeder rolls.

Also according to the invention, a feeder roll installationfor a coke wharf comprises a plurality of coke feeder rolls adapted to be disposed in co-axial relation along and adjacent to the discharge side of said coke wharf above and to the wharf side of a wharf conveyor associated therewith, flow-arresting means adapted to be securedto said coke wharf adjacent the discharge side thereof and to be associated one with each of said feeder rolls, means operable to cause the independent rotation of any selected one of said feeder rolls, and means to replace any one or more of the rolls without affecting the operation of the remaining rolls.

But a better understanding of the invention may be had from the following description when this is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

. FIGURE/l is a broken side elevation, partly in section of a coke wharf, feeder roll and conveyor taken generally on the line 1-1 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURES 2 and 3, are respectively, a sideelevation and a top plan view of portions of FIGURE 1;

'FIGURE 4 is a section of portion of the coke wharf taken generally on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2; and

' FIGURE 5 is a schematic diagram of the electric circuit controlling the feeder roll and conveyor.

In accordance with one form of the invention and as shown in the drawing, wherein the same reference numenals refer to identical parts, the coke wharf 11 is a substantially plane surface sloping from rails 12, upon which a hot coke car (of which only its'w-heel 12a is shown) is moved, downwardly towards a gulley 13 in which is located a substantially-horizontal endless wharf conveyor 14 which is constantly moving and which conveys coke from the wharf 11 to a screen house or other required destination (not shown). The angle of slope of the wharf 11, is such that coke will flow down the slope towards the conveyor 14.

The wharf 11 may be anything from 50 feet to 500 feet in length, depending upon the size of the coke oven battery with which it is associated, and its lower edge 15 terminates above and slightly clear of the conveyor 14 in the gulley 13. This gulley 13 is, as the name suggests,

' a trough-like depression which is slightly overhung by the lower, or discharge, end 15 of the wharf, and in the gulley 13 is placed the supporting structure 16 of the endless conveyor 14 which runs substantially horizontally in the gulley 13 along the full length of the wharf 11 adjacent to, but lower than, the discharge end 15 of the wharf.

Between the discharge end 15 of the Wharf 11 and the adjacent edge of the conveyor 14, a structure 17 is provided to carry a number of standards 18 provided with brackets 19 in which are non-rotatably located horizontal spindles 20 of a series of co-axially-disposed feeder .rolls 21. The spindles 20, when installed, lie substantially-vertically above that edge 22 of the conveyor 14 which lies nearest to the discharge end of 15 of the wharf 11. The spindles 20 are not rotatable, and are held in the brackets 19 by gravity only so that they may be lifted out for replacement without the need for extensive dismantling operations. For that purpose, brackets 19 are bifurcated as at 19a and 1911, FIGURE 2, and slotted to receive a generally rectangular extension-portion 20a of the respective ends of adjacent spindles 20.

The feeder rolls 21 are each approximately, and preferably not more than, six feet in length and a sufiicient number of brackets 19 are arranged in pairs along the length of the wharf 11 so that the necessary number. of feeder rolls 21 may be installed. Successive feeder rolls 21 are arranged as closely as possible to each other, and only sufiicient space is left between adjacent brackets-19 to accommodate the driving means for one feeder roll 21. A prime mover, such as an electric motor 23 and a reduction gear 24 for driving each roll 21 are accommodated beneath the overhanging portion of the discharge end 15 of the wharf 11, in the gulley 13, and the drive from each reduction gear 24 to its respective feeder roll 21 is by means of spur gear and chain transmission 25 (details not shown) between the reduction gear box 24 and one end of the associated feeder roll 21.

Each feeder roll 21 comprises a suitable hub 26 rotatable about its fixed spindle 20 and a plurality (preferably six) of flat plates 27 extending radially therefrom so that the roll 21, in section, is substantially star-shaped as shown in FIGURE 1, providing a number of wedgeshaped recesses 28 between the radial plates 27. Beneath each roll 21, and extending some distance over the conveyor 14, is located an anti-spillage plate 29 which guides coke from the recesses 28 in the feeder roll 21 on to the conveyor belt 14. Each roll 21 has an annular spur gear 30 secured to its driving end, and this meshes with a driving pinion 30a rotated by the chain transmission 25 from the reduction gear box 24. The driving pinion is mounted to allow disengagement'from spur gear 30 as the roll 21 is raised from the support brackets 19. The junction area of each pair of adjoining rolls is provided with a housing 40 (shown at one junction only in the drawing) comprising an upper section 43 and a lower section 44 joined at respective flanges 41 by fasteners 42. The housing 40 issuitably attached to the support structure, and adapted for easy detachment therefrom. Thus, if necessary, any feeder roll 21 can be removed complete with its spindle 20, by removing the housing 40 and merely hoisting feeder roll assembly from the structure. Another similar roll 21 and spindle may thereafter replace it without interfering with the driving gear 24 and transmission 25 or with any other roll on the wharf.

On the upper surface of the wharf 11, adjacent its discharge end 15 and coinciding with the space 31 between the ends of adjacent feeder rolls 21, (are located a number of supports 32, (FIGURE 1) and to the upper surface of these, and extending throughout the full length of the wharf, is secured a retaining grille 33, the lower edge of which lies above, and well clear of, the plane surface of the wharf 11 so that, unless otherwise obstructed, coke from the wharf will slide freely between this lower edge and the plane surface on to the feeder rolls 21.

To the lower edge of the retaining grille 33, however, are pivoted a number of arresting flaps 34, one or more to each feeder roll 21. Arresting flaps 34 are pivoted as at 34a so that they may swing angularly and horizontally outwards away from the wharf towards the feeder rolls 21. When in the position as shown, limited to that most vertical position by chains 34b, they obstruct the coke inits flow down the wharf 11, the weight of the coke, however, gradually moving them upwardly and permitting the coke to flow to, and rest against, the associated stationary roll 21. The flow of coke on to the belt 14, however, can only occur when roll 21 is being rotated.

1R eferring now to FIGURE 5, there is shown in schematte form a circuit for controlling the operation of the conveyor 14 and the several coke feeder rolls 21. A master control relay R is in series circuit with a manually operable conveyor start switch 50 between the positive and negative busses 51 and 52, respectively. Busses 51 and 52 are connected to voltage sources (alternating or direct current, etc.) appropriate for the relay and motors selected for the system. A group of circuits 53, 54, 55 etc., are connected in parallel across the busses 51, and 52, each providing the electrical control means to manually start the operation of any selected coke feeder roll 21, continue the operation of that selected roll and cause its stoppage by a manual switch or by the operation of another feeder roll 21. The manually operable switch START-1, STOP-1, etc., may be located such as on a panel 36 (FIGURE 1).

I Circuit leg 53 is illustrative of all the coke feeder roll control circuits and comprise the winding of a lock-up relay C1 in series with a manually operable normally open switch START-1, a manually operable, normally closed switch STOP-1', a chain of normally closed switches R2-1, R3-1, etc., of relays in each of the other control circuit legs 54, 55, etc., a normally open contact of master control relay R-l, between the busses 51 and 52 and fused as at 56 and 57. In parallel with START-1 switch is a contact switch C1-1 of lock-up relay C1 and an auxiliary circuit comprising the auxiliary relay winding R1. A second switch 02-2 of the lock up relay C2 is in shunt with relay C1 and its start switch. Each of the other circuit legs, 54, 55, etc., includes a similar arrangement of relays, switches patterned as is apparent from the designation of the circuit elements.

Circuit legs 60, 62, 64, etc., include in each respectively the motor 23 designated M-1, M-2, etc., for each feeder roll 21 in operative relation with the relay switches R1-3, R2-3, etc., of control relays R1, R2, R3, etc.

' The circuit operation should now be readily under stood. Conveyor 14 is started by manually operating a master switch, not shown which includes a pair of contacts 5!). Appropriate control circuits for continuing, stopping or otherwise controlling the operation of the conveyor are provided as desired the details for which will be apparent to those skilled in this art. Switch 50 closed, operates master control relay R. Each of the circuits for the coke feeder rolls 21 is now ready for operation since the normally open switches R-l, R-2 of masterrelay R are now closed. Closure of any one of the start switches will energize the C-relay of the correspondingly selected roll 21. Thus, operating switch START2, causes relay 0-2 to operate and lock-up through its contacts C2-1, operating thereby relay R2 through another set of C2 contacts, C2-2. Relay R2 operates the motor M-2 of motor circuit 62 associated with the selected coke roll 21 through relay contacts R2-3. Relay R2 in operating position also renders inoperative all the remaining motors M-1, M-3, etc., by opening the normally closed contacts R2-1, R2-2, R2-4, etc., connected in the other control circuit legs 53, 55, etc. Operation of the STOP-2 switch, opens circuit 54, releasing relay C2, relay R2 and stopping thereby, motor M2 for the corresponding coke roll 21. Thereafter,"

any coke feeder roll 21 may be placed in operation by depressing the corresponding START switch.

The control means for each feeder roll 21 may be located on a common operating platform 35 in a control panel 36 from whence the operator can observe the state of the wharf 11 as a whole and actuate any desired feeder roll 21. The relays, etc., may be located in panel 36 if desired.

-In the overall operation of this form of the invention, coke from a hot coke car, one wheel 12a of which being shown in FIGURE 1, is deposited on the wharf 11 and slides down towards the retaining grille 33 and the arresting flap 34, which thus arrests the flow of coke into the stationary feeder roll 21.

Spot quenching, as well known in the art, that may be necessary is then carried out on the wharf.

The operator has the whole wharf 11 under observation, and when the time comes for a car-load of coke to be removed from the wharf, he operates the appropriate control switch on panel 36 to start the desired feeder roll 21 so that a section of the coke on the wharf may be deposited by that feeder roll 21 on to the conveyor 14.

It is to be noted, from the description of FIGURE 5, that the controls for the various rolls 21 are interlocked so that only one coke feeder roll 21 can be rotated at any one time.

The above arrangement lends itself readily to either manual or semi-automatic control.

For use as a manual control system, the operator may operate from a platform 37 on the coke wharf 11 itself and operate feeder roll control switches as required, to discharge the chosen section of wharf. The control switches in this case will be located at a suitable position on the platform 37, each adjacent the motor 23 it controls.

From the above description it will be clear that the immobilisation of any one or more of the feeder rolls 21 will not inactivate the coke wharf as a whole and that repairs and maintenance can thus be carried out with little or no disturbance to the normal operation of the wharf; the individual rolls being replaceable without interference with other rolls or with their own driving means as has been described in greater detail above.

While the invention is particularly suited for new coke wharf installation projects it is also suitable for installation in existing wharves with very little alteration to the existing wharf structure; the structural alterations being the replacement of the older type of gate by the retaining grille 33 and arresting flaps 34 and the division of the previous continuous feeder roll into a plurality of shorter, replaceable independent, rolls 21.

What I claim is:

1. A coke wharf installation comprising a series of feed rolls mounted on a common axis, each of said feed rolls having open pockets arranged about the axis of said feed rolls, a coke supporting structure having a plane surface sloping downwardly toward said feed rolls, means for supporting each of said feed rolls and allowing for easy replacement of any of said rolls comprising apair of supporting elements at the ends of each of said rolls, and a spindle extending axially of said roll on which said roll is mounted and resting by gravity on said supporting elements to permit removal of each roll independently of the other rolls, means to rotate each said roll independently of the other rolls to deliver coke, and a conveyor to receive coke delivered by each of said rolls.

2. The coke wharf installation of claim 1 in which the axis of said feed rolls is substantially in the plane of the said sloping surface and in which said pockets are formed by plates extending readially relative to said axis.

3. The coke wharf installation of claim 1 in which said means to rotate each said roll independently of the others comprises an individual electric motor connected to drive a respective roll of said series.

4. The coke wharf installation of claim 3 comprising an interlocking control for said electric motors selectively to energize one of said motors and hold the other motors de-energized.

5. The coke wharf installation of claim 3 comprising a ring gear mounted on each said roll and a chain drive from said motor to said ring gear.

6. The coke wharf according to claim 1 wherein said supporting elements have elongated slots with the recess of the slots facing upwardly, substantially rectangular extension on the axle of each feed rolls, whereby said feed rolls are supported solely by the extension received in said slots rendering said feed rolls easily removable from said supports.

7. The coke wharf according to claim 6 wherein each feed rolls comprises a ring gear mounted on one end thereof, a pinion gear disposed and in meshed relation with said ring gear to allow said ring gear to be disengaged therefrom by lifting vertically upwardly, and a chain drive from a motor to said pinion gear.

8. A coke wharf installation comprising a horizontal conveyor, a structure in which the conveyor is mounted and which provides a plane surface above the conveyor and sloping at an angle theretowards, a plurality of separate feed rolls mounted horizontally and co-axi-ally in the structure adjacent and parallel with the lower end of said plane surface above and towards that side of the conveyor adjacent thereto in position to deliver to said conveyor, means mounted in the structure and associated with each said feed roll for rotating it independently of the remainder of said rolls, means associated with each said rotating means for controlling said rotating means, and means for supporting said feed rolls solely by gravity including a pair of support brackets having slots for receiving the respective ends of said rolls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,201,499 10/1916 Rapp. 1,231,269 6/ 1917 Kindling. 1,287,179 12/1918 Baldwin 214-18 X 2,638,252 5/ 1953 Zahn 222/139 GERALD M. 'FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

R. G. SHERIDAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COKE WHAFT INSTALLATION COMPRISING A SERIES OF FEED ROLLS MOUNTED ON A COMMON AXIS, EACH OF SAID FEED ROLLS HAVING OPEN POCKETS ARRANGED ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID FEED ROLLS, A COKE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE HAVING A PLANE SURFACE SLOPING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID FEED ROLLS, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING EACH OF SAID FEED ROLLS AND ALLOWING FOR EASY REPLACEMENT OF ANY OF SAID ROLLS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUPPORTING ELEMENTS AT THE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID ROOLS, AND A SPINDLE EXTENDING AXIALLY OF SAID ROLL ON WHICH SAID ROLL IS MOUNTED AND RESTING BY GRAVITY ON SAID SUPPORTING ELEMENTS TO PERMIT REMOVAL OF EACH ROLL INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OTHER ROLLS, MEANS TO ROTATE EACH SAID ROLL INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OTHER ROLL TO DELIVER COKE, AND A CONVEYOR TO RECEIVE COKE DELIVERED BY EACH OF SAID ROLLS. 